


every volunteer goes through initial training, even overqualified stunningly skilful librarians

by subtlesraf



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: F/F, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing It Better, Requited Love, Soup (Mentioned), Sparring, Training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 03:42:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14488074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtlesraf/pseuds/subtlesraf
Summary: jacquelyn and olivia train together and things get serious rather quicklylarry pines for jacques and finds out more than he expected about his friends





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tansypool](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tansypool/gifts).



> just a prompt fic to help me get back into writing.

“I won’t go easy on you.” Jacquelyn told her firmly, and Olivia grinned.

“I don’t expect you to.” Olivia shifted from foot to foot and struck out as Jacquelyn threw a punch, knocking her blow aside. 

“Nice one.” Jacquelyn told her, wrapped hands up by her face, balled up into fists. 

Olivia flushed in pleasure at her words, and sprang away as Jacquelyn’s fist came towards her, and missed again. 

Jacquelyn’s eyes narrowed as she followed Olivia with a flurry of jabs, none of which landed, which she was grateful for, but growing increasingly frustrated at how easily Olivia was avoiding her attacks. 

Olivia’s hair quickly came out of its bun with all her twisting and jumping aside, and fell down around her face, reaching her shoulder blades and getting into her face. 

Jacquelyn’s closed fist connected with Olivia’s jaw before either of them realised it, Olivia’s hair distracting- well, both of them really. 

Olivia’s head snapped to the side from the blow and she gasped in pain as Jacquelyn froze.

“I’m so sorry!” Jacquelyn exclaimed, taking Olivia’s face in her hands. Olivia blinked at her in surprise, taken aback by the closeness and concern as Jacquelyn gently probed the librarian’s jaw with her thumb. 

Olivia winced, and Jacquelyn cringed in embarrassment, “Sorry. You’ll definitely have a bruise.”

“That’s rather the point of sparring, isn’t it? You have quite the left hook,” Olivia smiled, her hands resting on Jacquelyn’s, which were still gently cupping her face. 

“Still, I’m so-”

“Don’t apologise again, it’s all right,” Olivia told her sweetly, “If you want, you can make it up to me.”

“Of course,” Jacquelyn said. It was only fair, after she’d almost knocked her out. 

“I can think of a way.” Olivia always bit her lip when she grinned, and she did so now.

“Yes?” Jacquelyn swallowed hard, nervous. 

“I think a kiss would make me feel a lot better.” 

Jacquelyn’s mouth fell open slightly. 

Beaming, Olivia turned her face to the side and softly tapped the swelling skin on her jaw.

“O-oh.” Jacquelyn stammered, “Of course,” and dipped her head to press her lips against the bruise, which was already beginning to redden. Despite it, she could feel the librarian tremble at the touch of her mouth, and hear her breathing in and out just before she pulled away.

“Feel better?” Jacquelyn asked, feeling a little foolish. 

“Almost.” Olivia told her, and leaned in slowly, hesitantly, before kissing Jacquelyn’s red mouth softly, and her hands crept into the secretary’s hair. Jacquelyn slid her arms around Olivia’s waist and pulled her closer, sighing against her lips, which were even softer than her skin. Olivia’s fingers combed gently through Jacquelyn’s hair, trailing over her neck before pushing into her hair again. 

“Better?” Jacquelyn asked. 

“Much better,” Olivia smiled, and pulled her close to kiss her again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i wasn’t expecting there to be a second chapter or even a second pairing so thank you @tansypool for blessing me with your prompts

Whistling on his way to the training room, Larry paused and popped in his mouth guard before he entered, not because he was going up against any other volunteer, but because the punching bag would frequently swing back and hit him in the face, stomach or a far more sensitive area.

Pushing open the double doors to the gymnasium, Larry prepared himself for an afternoon of physical exertion.

What he was not prepared for was the sight of Jacquelyn completely wrapped around the new recruit like a boa constrictor, kissing her deeply, so completely engrossed in their embrace that Larry’s arrival went entirely unnoticed. Which was something, considering he was kitted out in a padded helmet, white undershirt, satin boxer shorts and lace up boots, complete with boxing gloves.

His eyes widening from the intensity of their embrace, Larry spat out his moistened mouth guard and tentatively cleared his throat, “Ahem…ladies?”

They broke apart and turned to look at him, their faces pink and Jacquelyn’s mouth, not surprisingly, was almost entirely unmarked by her favored shade of red lipstick, and Larry noted the darkening shadow of a bruise on Olivia’s face.

“Per-perhaps it would be best to leave these…embraces for a less public place in the future?” he suggested shyly, trembling under the weight of Jacquelyn’s fierce gaze. They were closer with each other than anyone else, but she still made him nervous when she looked at him like that.

“Prudent advice, thank you, Larry.” Jacquelyn nodded firmly, and detached herself from Olivia’s curvaceous figure, “We’ll take our leave and let you practice in peace. We need a shower after sparring, anyway.”

Larry’s eyes widened and he choked on his own saliva at the implications in her words as she took Olivia’s hand and led her out of the gymnasium.

Larry sighed. Happy as he was for them, he was also disappointed.

Not that they had each other, but that he still had no one, after decades at V.F.D.

His motivation for attacking a bag filled with sawdust gone, Larry shuffled defeatedly back to his dormitory, taking his gloves off and hanging them from the back of the door.

“What’s up, partner?” Jacques asked cheerily, entering their shared room while rubbing his hands, the smell of soup wafting in after him.

“Nothing.” Larry replied despondently, and sat heavily down on his bunk, which considering how slight he was, was impressive.

“Sure there is,” Jacques said, “You are clearly dressed for strenuous exercise, and yet you haven’t broken a sweat. Did Jacquelyn finally make a move on the new recruit?”

“How- how could you know that?” Larry stammered.

“Oh, it’s glaringly obvious that she was interested. Glances, touches, soft words. And the fact that Jacquelyn hit me in the arm, rather hard I might add, for speaking to Olivia.”

“That’s a little forceful, even for her.” Larry observed.

“To be fair, I was, at the time, asking her a series of questions to determine if we would be compatible,” Jacques admitted, unabashed, “I may have been attracted to her and, er... Jacquelyn clearly knew this and expressed, in her way, what she thought of my intentions.”

“Oh,” Larry said, feeling even worse than he had before, and thought better of divulging, a word here meaning ‘confessing’, his feelings about his companion-less existence.

“But that cant be what’s bothering you,” Jacques eyebrows drew together in that way they did when he was about to analyse someone, “You’ve known about Jacquelyn’s romantic and sexual orientation longer than anyone. That isn’t the reason for your melancholia.”

“No,” Larry agreed, too miserable to lie or avoid his friend’s talent for weeding out the truth, but Jacques could sense that too.

“Would you like to tell me? I don’t want to pry.”

Larry took off his padded helmet and looked at him incredulously.

“Well, I do, but I don’t want to upset you further by doing so.” Jacques said, stepping over and rubbing Larry’s bare shoulder in what was supposed to be a soothing gesture, but just served to make Larry nervous all over again.

“Uh…” Larry began to tremble, and smoothed back his wispy hair with a shaky hand, “Just feeling, uh, a little lonesome.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Jacques’ eyebrows furrowed in sympathy, “It’s very lonesome not having anyone.”

Larry chortled a little at that, and was immediately apologetic, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“Oh, I know how that sounds coming from me,” Jacques waved his apology away good-naturedly, “I’m not quite as dedicated to debauchery as everyone seems to think.”

“That’s, uh-” Larry began, and choked when he couldn’t think of what to say. Reassuring? Disappointing? Hard to believe? “… interesting.” he finished lamely.

Jacques chuckled at how red Larry’s face was, “I’ve embarrassed you, my friend. Forgive me.” He grinned, and Larry’s heart hurt at how beautiful and blissfully oblivious he was to how much it pained Larry to be called a friend by the man he had loved for longer than he’d been a volunteer.

“Got an appetite? It’s soup tonight. Made it myself,” Jacques smiled proudly, and Larry nodded, not trusting his voice.

Knowing that Larry liked soup very much, Jacques’ face fell at the disappointing response he received, “Are you all right, Larry?” he asked.

“I don’t feel all that swell,” Larry told him, “I’ll just go to bed early after having some water crackers, or something.”

“You’re not just feeling lonesome. You’re wishing you had somebody, aren’t you, Larry?” Jacques pressed.

“Yes,” Larry told him miserably, unlacing his boots and slipping them off, getting ready to slide into bed and sleep.

“Well, perhaps I can help you with that.” Jacques raised an eyebrow, but Larry hadn’t looked up from his boots.

“Oh?” Larry said noncommittally, before feeling Jacques’ fingers cup his chin and tilt his head up, so their mouths would meet in a searing kiss that took Larry so far aback that he almost toppled off the bed; or would have, if Jacques’ burly form wasn’t keeping him from doing so.

“Oh.” Larry said again, when Jacques broke away to smile at him, _“Oh.”_

“Is there an echo in here?” Jacques teased, and smiled even wider when Larry’s cheeks and nose went red.

“Goodness me,” Larry pressed his hands to his cheeks, his heart hammering in his chest, “That was unexpected.”

“Then would you like to save the rest for another time?” Jacques straightened and stood up.

“Another time?” Larry blinked up at him, repeating confusedly, “The rest?”

Jacques pulled his soup-stained shirt over his head, his soft but muscled chest making Larry’s eyes widen and his cheeks heat up under his palms as the taxi driver dropped his shirt to the floor and grinned suggestively, “I was going to suggest that I help you work up an appetite.”

**Author's Note:**

> feedback means the world to me and helps me write


End file.
